Ms Cathy Wheatley:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to speak here today. I am the spokesperson for Irish Families Through Surrogacy. I am also a mother to three children. My first-born, baby Helen, died at birth. When I lost Helen, I also lost my ability to carry another pregnancy. Thankfully, through advances in assisted human reproduction, I was able to avail of surrogacy and welcome my now two-and-a-half-year old twins Ted and Elsie into the world. Thankfully, they were alive. The first thing I said when they were born was "How is Ivana?", our surrogate, and then "They are alive", because that was not my reality. Today, the committee will hear some of my story, but, ultimately, I am here to represent the women up and down the country in every community and constituency. Irish Families Through Surrogacy represent families who, through no fault of their own, had to avail of international surrogacy to have their children.

I was failed by State services throughout my entire adult life. I was failed by a delayed diagnosis of endometriosis. I was failed by the maternity services where there were admitted failures in my care and the care of my beautiful, stillborn baby girl, Helen. I was failed when, due to medical reasons, I was denied the chance to adopt. I was failed when I brought my beautiful children home to Ireland. When we landed in Dublin Airport as a family. I realised that this was the moment I lost my maternal rights. I have been invisible as an Irish woman throughout all of these failures. At the committee's previous sessions, we heard about invisible mothers. The truth is that I am an invisible mother. As a mother of a stillborn baby I had no child in my arms to signify my motherhood in society's eyes. When my husband and I finally welcomed our twins Ted and Elsie through surrogacy, in the eyes of the law I am a legal stranger to them. I do not exist. If the current Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill proceeds without the inclusion of international surrogacy and retrospective recognition of parentage, being a mother through surrogacy means that I will still be invisible. Hundreds of mothers and I will not be recognised. Today, I come here to appeal to members, on behalf of these mammies, to please let us finally be visible.

I say to the mighty women who carried our children, simply because our bodies could not, that Irish Families Through Surrogacy wants you to know that we see you and that you are not invisible in our lives or in our children's lives. When we blow out the candles on our children's birthday cake we think of you and we celebrate you. Without you there would be no birthday cake and our houses would be empty. The beautiful pandemonium of family life simply would not exist. This is why your well-being and protection will always be a priority for us.

We come here today to be witnesses to our legislators, the people who can make a difference to our families and to our children. However, the truth is we bear witness every day to our children. We have a responsibility to be able to look them in the eye and be confident that their story is one that ensures they were created with protection, love, respect and dignity for everybody involved with our pregnancy partnerships. We ensure that we as their parents did everything we could to make their story one of which they could be proud of.

Our children have a right to know their origins and their identity. When we see our reflection in our children’s eyes, we want them to see a mother who did everything possible to protect them, love them and advocate for them. Now is the time as a country we can stand up and be counted, be brave, be forward-thinking and be the ones who are not afraid to tackle the difficult advances in society. This is not just for our families' sake but for all families and for generations to come. Please do not fail us now.